Rehoboth Uprising

[1] During the eighteenth century, the Baster community emerged from the descendants of white, often Dutch or German, colonial men and Khoisan women.

The Rehoboth Basters, led by Hermanus van Wyk, formed their community on rigid "constitutional and religious beliefs, which were maintained by organised structures such as their elected council".

[2] However, by the late nineteenth century, the future of the Baster community in Rehoboth was threatened by the consistency of attacks waged by the Namas and Hereros.

[2] As the First World War waged, the German Empire rescinded its treaties with the Rehoboth Basters, with the latter subsequently seeking support from the Union of South Africa.

[4] By November 1923, the Majority Party had rallied the Baster community to reject the agreement and had successfully instigated a campaign of passive resistance.

[2] The Majority Party organised local elections and won all the seats available in the Baster Council, which refused to meet with the South African Administrator.

The new elections of 16 June 1924 were boycotted and the Baster Council continued to govern over Rehoboth, "collecting taxes, making their own laws and issuing their own permits".

On 5 April 1925, a combined force of 621 citizen troops and police surrounded Rehoboth with the objective of securing the arrest of Koopman, Diergaardt, and Buekes.

The Administration relied fundamentally on the presence of aeroplanes, which successfully rounded the Baster population up, without firing a single shot, providing the "psychological edge by making diving sorties over [Rehoboth]".